Keynote Speaker, René Hicks
As a comedian, René Hicks says she never performed--she believed--that she could use her comedy to initiate a positive change in people's lives. By addressing societal ills through humor, she was very successful in providing quality entertainment that was not only hilarious, but contained a message that something as simple as laughter could assist in crossing social and cultural barriers that contribute to isolation, leading to an overall healthier and well adjusted society. She witnessed her efforts being rewarded by seeing diverse audiences across the US and around the world being unified by laughter. René also had often been tremendously gratified by revelations from audience members, who had suffered mental, emotional or physical abuse, that her inducements of laughter had given them hope and a feeling of empowerment. This was further proof to her that indeed laughter could strengthen even the most vulnerable spirit.
Being a comedian with a positive message of unity, René was motivated by the recognition that her God-given gift for creating laughter was instrumental in enabling her to overcome her encounter with cancer, along with a subsequent partial lung removal and also help family and friends in dealing with such an unexpected and uncertain situation. That was a profound display of the awesome power of humor. "They say that love is so powerful that it can move mountains, but laughter is more powerful, because it will help cure your depression after you break up with the person you moved that damn mountain for in the first place!" René sees herself as having a purpose to combine her awesome comedic talent and her dynamic speaking ability, with her insightful personal journey to become a living testament to the power of laughter--extolling the benefits of humor as a healing, coping, life enhancement and enrichment tool. She says she now doesn’t categorize herself as a comedian or a lecturer, but as a "Laughter Advocate"—on a mission. René uses her own many life experiences to demonstrate how humor can be enlisted in every area of life. She uses her recovery from cancer, in particular, as an example of laughter’s immense effectiveness.
Now it is René’s passion through her laugh filled presentations, to be a beacon for others. "You can use humor to become a better communicator and therefore, a more effective parent, a more understanding spouse and a more inspirational leader. Engaging in laughter has documented positive health benefits, especially in the reduction of stress; therefore, you can be a more efficient employee, a more productive student, and a more attentive care-giver. Humor can be implemented as an aid in overcoming obstacles and coping with upheavals that everyone is bound to face in the course of a lifetime. Whether those obstacles and upheavals are of a life threatening nature or just life impeding, if you can find humor in a difficult situation, you’re well on your way to finding a solution."
Rather your group or organization needs a message delivered through humor or a comedy show that also can deliver a message, it is hard to find very many individuals who are capable of satisfying either need with such a high level of energy, enthusiasm and professionalism. You will find just that person when you invite René Hicks to come for a visit.
TOPICS
Secondhand Smoke Is No Joke
How could a woman in her thirties, who was an energetic, health conscious, athlete--a former collegiate distance runner, no less--who had never smoked be diagnosed with lung cancer? She was exposed to secondhand smoke, while performing in comedy clubs—that’s how. René used her indomitable sense of humor to survive her treatment, which included surgery for the partial removal of her lung. She then set about utilizing her gift of humor and passion for civil rights to become a vocal and effective advocate for the prevention of tobacco use and for generating greater public awareness of the health related dangers from exposure to secondhand smoke, especially for children. Her quest was given a major boost by the filming of two immensely effective TV ads, relating her ordeal. Her TV ad, “Secondhand Smoke Is No Joke” was awarded the prestigious “Telly Award”, symbolizing outstanding achievement in advertising.
Leading With Laughter
René combines her experience working in the corporate and comedy worlds to successfully create a program for present and future leaders to realize and utilize the many applications of humor, as it relates to becoming more versatile, innovative, and well-rounded in their leadership roles. “I don’t just want to leave them laughing, but learning as well." Her student leadership program inspires young leaders by giving them the knowledge and the tools to help enable them to, "Lead By Example & Laugh By Example". Her goal in this innovative presentation is not to get future leaders to think out of the box, but to laugh out loud at the ridiculous notion of finding themselves stuck in a box! “Forget about the box, that’s so last millennium!! I want to challenge them to be exponentially creative ‘new millennium’, global problem-solvers and practice thinking ‘off the hook’ and have some laughs doing it!!
Laughter – The Human Connection
René’s a unique composite: daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, former accountant, political activist, award-winning comedian, cancer survivor, smoke-free ninja, cultural Sherpa and humor healer. Her varied background gives Rene her truest gift--being able to appropriately combine entertaining humor with important and sometimes "sensitive" issues--infusing them with a positive and unifying message. She honed this gift with her comedy--perfected it with her humor presentations. This is especially valuable when she is requested to tailor her presentation to specific topics, groups or events. When called upon by groups to address multicultural/diversity issues, René creates harmony and understanding using her equation, “Diversity + Laughter = Unity”. Regarding the difficulties students encounter when dealing with LGBT issues on college campuses, she contends There’s Gold At The End Of The Rainbow”". In lending support to victims of mental/physical abuse and/or assault, she provides strength in, "Where There Is Laughter—s Hope”. Note: The topics here are derived from the basic concept of the bond laughter forges between people and then successfully tailored to the specific topic or group.
Curative Comedy
René’s lung cancer battle has bound her to the belief of the immense healing power of laughter. René feels compelled to promote the benefits of using laughter as a healing/coping tool, in hopes people will make humor part of an overall wholistic approach to healthcare and maintenance. She especially emphasizes that as a preventative measure in maintaining good health, laughter has documented positive health benefits, most notably as a stress reducer. Stress can impair a student’s ability to successfully navigate the matriculation and socialization process. Using humor in communication can also be a tool to educate students and staff about health issues. "If you're trying to get your meaning across by making people laugh at the subject you’re addressing, and they are indeed laughing—you know they are paying attention to what is being said." This can lead to the full comprehension of the information, inspiring positive health related changes.
Coming to the stage….René Hicks
Some comedians have comedy acts, but only a rare few have comedy activism. René Hicks has earned this distinction by promoting societal changes, while making people laugh. She has the incredible ability to entertain across a wide spectrum of audiences all over the world and to illicit the same uproariously reaction of collective laughter. René was the first African-American woman ever nominated for an American Comedy Award for "Best Female Stand-Up". She has performed at over 650 colleges/universities and is a two-time winner of the NACA College Comedian of the Year Award. She has appeared on numerous television shows/movies, most notably on her own Comedy Central show: Comedy Central Presents…René Hicks. René embodies her personal motto in her comedy and in her life: "Laughter brings people together. We need a lot more laughter in this world and a lot less of the stupid crap that divides us".